Stranger
by because-orphanblack
Summary: AU set in San Francisco. Delphine meets a stranger at a bar. Something in her life is about to change.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Hi Stranger

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Chapter 1: Hi Stranger

"We should go out tonight! Just the two of us, getting drunk!" I breathe out deeply, looking at her, expressing myself with just one look and before I can protest she knows I'm preparing my excuse. "Your paperwork will still be here tomorrow for you to finish! I glare at her and say nothing. "Oh come on Delphine, its Friday night! Live a little!" Alex says.

I was never the type of girl to go out every weekend, getting drunk, embarrassing myself, as Alex seemed to do. I've been there, done that and had a terrible time doing it. But sure, I really need to cool down after I've studied all day long, working on my paper.

"Alright, fine!" I say, getting up. "A little break won't hurt."

Alex wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me in for a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Yes, yes yes!" And starting to move away from me, jumping up and down like she just accomplished something.

"I promise we will have so much fun!"

"On one condition!" I say, while I walk to my room.

"Sure! Anything! What?" Alex says, while doing the same.

"I need to eat first!" I laugh. And she can't help but join in, nodding her head.

After we eat our meal that, by the way, made us feel like we were rolling to the club. Alex is the one handling the itinerary, She knows the nightlife better than I do.

We seem to be at one of her favorite clubs, which we've been to before and I really enjoy the place. If I'm approached by I girl, she usually tends to accept a rejection much better than a man.

Usually when we go out, Alex always seems to have in mind that she's going home with someone. And I'm not complaining, I just want her to be happy.

As we arrive at the club, I can hear the music playing loud, loud enough to dance to, which makes me, want to dance. But before we start our journey to the dance floor, we get ourselves a drink and sit down at one of the tables, to enjoy our conversation. A while after, Alex's starts to lose focus, and in that moment I know she has her eyes on someone. And before I know it, she's dragging me to the dance floor and we leave our drinks on the table. On the dance floor I feel my body start to relax to the music. Alex and I dance like we're used to, with sexiness and style.

It turns out to be a pretty good night. I never imagine that we could have so much fun. People even start to make space for us so everyone could see us dancing. After a while, I see Alex turning her attention to a girl she spotted earlier, so I decide to let them do their thing and I walk to the bar to order a drink.

"Excuse me! I'd like to order!" I say loudly over the bar so the bartender can hear me.

He did hear me, and ignores me and he went to another customer. I, of course, am shocked when I notice what he did. I look at him for a while and then all of a sudden, I hear someone starts to laugh. I look at the stranger beside me, absorbing her smile, and the sound of her laugh. I furrow my brow.

"And what's so funny?" I sigh, offering this stranger part of my smile.

The stranger looks at me and gives me a cocky smile back. "Nah nothing," she says. "I just thought it was funny seeing how shocked you became when he ignored you. That's all." She chuckles, sipping on her drink.

"Ah I see." I say, turning my head to the bartender again.

However, I don't try to get the bartender's attention again. I turn around, my arms resting against the bar, watching the group of people dance against and around each other.

"Sooo!" The stranger says, loud enough for me to turn my head towards her. "What's a girl like you doing in a bar like this?" The smile never leaves her face.

I start to feel the blush creeping to my cheeks. "Well, believe it or not," I smile, but keep my eyes on the crowd, "My friend, who I can't seem to find right now, who's probably with some girl she found, dragged me here."

I turn my eyes towards her. And what I see is this stranger looking at me with such intensity that makes my whole face turn red as a tomato, and I don't know why. I turn my head back towards the crowd. "How about you?" I ask, "What's a stranger like you doing in a bar like this?"

She starts to chuckle, shaking her head. "Hmm, a stranger like me.." she says, and turns her body against the crowd, sipping on her drink. "Well believe it or not, stranger," she says and turns back giving me a wink. "But my friends dragged me here as well, and I can't seem to find them either."

For the first time since I laid eyes on her, my eyes seemed to focus. The stranger in front of me is wearing this beautiful tight black dress, her hair is tied in a bun on top of her head and a small silver ring in her nose. My eyes seems to take its own course and travelers lower, without me requesting it. Her thighs are firm, flexed legs. She is standing on her left while her right leg is resting, slightly crossed.

"Well then!" I say, after I notice the silence between us. "Two lost fish in a big sea full of fish." Before I even have time to think about what I just said, I take my eyes off her. The stranger laughs and her entire body starts to shake. And I can't stop myself from laughing with her. She stops for a while, and say nothing. The only thing preventing us from talking is the music around us. I release a deep breath.

"So stranger" she says, the smile never leaving her face. "Do you have a name?

I turn around trying, again, to get the bartender's attention, i wave my hand so he can see me and I stop when I hear her voice. I look at her, the smile never leaves her lips. "Doesn't everyone?" I reply a little softer.

Suddenly I feel someone tapping my arm, and I turn my head to see the bartender, ready to take my order. I glance over to my left, i watch the stranger who is observing the people around us.

"Two shots please!" I say as I raise two fingers in the air. He comes back with them almost immediately. I take one in each hand, and gently nudge her shoulder so she can look at me and i hand her a shot. "And since you asked, I'm Delphine." I say and I take the shot, which, by the way, taste awful. "How about you, stranger?" She start to laugh after watching me take the whole thing.

"Well Delphine." She caught my attention again and continues "Thank you for the shot." And she drinks the whole thing too.

"Cosima," she says. I didn't quite catch it because of the music so I lower my head and put my hand on my ear.

"Sorry?" I ask loudly.

She is leaning against me, her hand on my face to keep me steady and whispers in my ear, "Cosima, my name is Cosima." She moves away, looking at me for an instant and then quickly towards the people around us. I caught myself staring at her, and then hurriedly turn my head away from her, I shouldn't have been turning red but the blush escalated fast to my face. Cosima remains still, but I can feel her gaze. The little hairs on my arms rises, enjoying the stare she is giving me.

All of a sudden, I feel someone grip my right arm and pull me. I turn around to see Alex, drunk. "Heeey Delphine" she whimpers.

"Merde Alex! How much did you drink?" I ask, as I get a better grip on her.

"Just a little bit, like this much" she laughs while holds her fingers to show me how "little" she's been drinking. I look at her, not believing what I see.

"Yeah right, come on lets get you home." I say, no question about it. As I start to move, I feel a softer grip on my other arm and turn to see Cosima.

"I really want to see you again," she says, in a husky voice. I find myself observing her, not knowing what to say. What do you say to something like that? I can see her moving closer to me, looking deep into my eyes and the smile on her lips is constant. I smile back, leaning forward.

"Be patient." I whisperer in her ear and move away, walking towards the exit with a smile on my face.

As we stand outside waiting for the taxi, all my focus is on Alex who have been drinking too much for her own good. The only thing I can hear is her talking about the girl she hooked up with. And the only thing I can do is laugh. As the taxi arrives, I hear someone shout my name. I wave my hand so the taxi can pull over in front of us. I get Alex inside the cab and ask the driver to wait. I turn around to see Cosima right behind me and out of breath.

"Couldn't stay away I see," I tease.

She looks up at me and chuckles. "I'm not giving up that easily. And, I really want to see you again," she grins and moves closer to me. "What about a coffee or something next Friday?" And her grin keeps growing.

All of a sudden, I am the one out of breath, and I can't seem to understand why. There is something about her that makes me feel alive, and I don't want to give that up just yet. I want to explore where these unexpected feelings comes from. I never saw myself talking to some stranger in a club. I have always been shy when talking to someone I don't know. But with Cosima, I become the opposite of who I thought I was.

"Bien sûr" I whisper as I get closer to her, "Do you have a pen?"

"Mhm" I hear her say as she takes it out from her bag, her eyes never leaving my lips. She gives it to me, and I start to regain my strength, taking a few steps backwards, away from her. I grab her hand softly and write down my address.

"Pick me up at 7 pm," I look down at her, "And don't be late." I lean closer, Cosima watches me, observing my every move.

"Ciao" I say low, and I turn away, towards the taxi with a smile on my face. "Bye," I hear her say as I get in the cab.

Alex has already fallen asleep when I get in the cab. And when we arrive in front of our apartment, she finally wakes up, after I lightly punch her arm. She get out of the cab, unlocks the door to our apartment and goes straight to bed. I, for that matter, don't do the same. I wash my face, change my clothes and lay in my bed staring at the wall.

My mind got the best of me, I can't seem to stop thinking about the instance I had with Cosima and how much I looked forward to next Friday.

This wasn't like me at all. I enjoyed the way she looked at me, and the attention I was given. I would never have seen myself with someone ever again, if you had asked me a year ago. After the horrible break up I had with my ex-boyfriend, I told myself to never look for love again, because it sucked. It sucked being in love with someone who treated me wrong and didn't appreciate me for who I was. He didn't love me, he loved another version of me, the one he tried so hard for me to become. And I couldn't stand it any more, after four years. But its funny how things work out.

But now, I don't know what's happening to me. There's something different about her and the fact that she is a girl as well makes it even harder for me to let it slip away. I had never thought myself being with a woman. But as I said, its funny how the universe has its way with us.

I simply close my eyes and drift to sleep.

It is Saturday morning, Alex is running around in the apartment, loud music is playing. After I turn back and forth in my bed, trying to go back to sleep, I get up, barging through my door and I look at her.

"God morning sunshine!" Alex says loudly. "I thought I'd make you breakfast, as a thank you for getting me home earlier" she say.

I walk past her and give her a peck on her cheek. "It was nothing, don't worry about it, I had fun." I say. I take my cup of coffee and walk towards the sofa. She looks at me suspiciously and walks behind me. She is sitting on the table in front of me.

"Really..? You? Had fun?" she asks and sips on her coffee. "Yes" I chuckles. "Yes I had fun Alex!"

She walks back to the kitchen and pours herself some milk.

"I actually met someone" I say low, hoping she didn't hear me. But she did.

"What?!" she whimpers and turns around, almost spilling her coffee and walks fast to her seat where she was only 30 seconds ago.

"Who? When? How? Where?!" I laugh over her excitement.

"Let's calm down, okay?" I say and put my arms on her shoulders.

"Her name is Cosima.." I don't have time to blink before Alex is jumping from her seat, her hands is covering her mouth.

"A girl?!" she whimpers.

I stand up, laughing as I go to get more coffee. "We met at the bar, when I decided to leave you with that girl you ditched me for, remember?" I tease.

"Sorry."

"Well we talked and we had a good time" I sip on my coffee.

"Oh, I see" she did the same, her eyes never leaving mine.

As I walk towards the bathroom, to get myself a shower I close the door. I prepare myself for her next reaction. "I'm meeting her again, next Friday! I shout from behind the door.

As I predict, Alex is running towards the door, trying to open it. "What! Really! Wow I really need to lay down." she says, and moves back to the sofa. I, for that matter, laugh and turn on the water.

After I get out, Alex is sitting on the couch watching TV. When she hear me approach, she turns off the TV. Her eyes never leaving my face and I can't look at her. My blush reappear. She turns her body towards me, and looks at me like she is expecting more coming out of my mouth. "I want to know everything Delphine!"

"I don't really know what to say! I met a girl, she seems nice and I would to get to know her more. She is kind of a mystery to me. "

"What do you mean mystery?" Alex ask.

"I don't really know her! We didn't got time to talk very much before you came in the picture!" I wink.

"Oh shut up Delphine." She snorts.


	2. Chapter 2: The following week

I moved to the states a couple of years ago, with my father and mother's blessing, to fulfill my dream in science. I moved from Paris to San Francisco, and I brought Alex with me, or rather, she followed me.

Alex and I have known each other since we were kids. We know all about each other and I can't imagine what I would do without her. She has grown to be such an important person in my life that not only has lifted me up when I've been down but has pushed me when things have gotten way out of hand.

Since we moved, we have done everything together and not a day has gone by when I've not been with her, except when she's at work or when I'm at the library. I was supposed to graduate and get my Ph.D. last year. But, after the break up with my ex-boyfriend, I had no motivation at all. I was too broken and therefore I took a year off, while Alex graduated. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't have gone back.

After the weekend ended, we went back to our normal routines. Alex went to work and I went to the library, to struggle on my paper. After the day ended, we met outside the cafeteria where she works.

Every Tuesday, after Alex finishes her shift, we go to the grocery store to buy what we need for the week.

"Soo.." Alex starts, as we walk through the shelves. "Friday! Are you excited?"

"Yeah, I think so."

She glances at me.

"I mean yes, of course, I am Alex, but at the same time I'm nervous? This is new for me. I don't know what to say or how to act sober!"

I whine as we are making our way through the other side of the store.

And in a blink of an eye, my heart stops, and my body stops moving. My mind goes blank, I can't see the people passing me by, or hear the children crying. Only the individual, standing on the other side of the store.

"Well, take a drink before or somethi-" I grip Alex's arm and walk to the other side of where we are standing.

"Delphine, what are you doing?"

I don't hear her talking to me, as my only thought is to get away as fast as possible.

"Delphine!" Alex says loudly, and I am back.

"Shhh!"

"What in the name of God are you doing?" she asks.

"She's here!" I say in a low voice. I look everywhere, except at Alex.

"What? She? Who is she, Delphine? Care to explain so I know what I'm actually dealing with here?" Alex says, starting to get annoyed.

I look at her.

"Cosima is here!"

"What?! Where?" Alex looks around, turns from right to left. "Where? Where is she!"

I look around while I hide behind the shelves, and the next thing I know my eyes find her again. She is standing in the same spot where I first noticed her. I point my finger in her direction.

"There." I whisper. Alex follows my pointed finger, focused on Cosima.

"Damn that girl has some fire! Aren't you going to say hi? You're seeing her in three days." She says as she begins to walk away.

"No! "Alex, come back here!" I whisper, loud enough for her to hear me. She looks back once, and leaves me anyway, alone and hiding behind the shelves.

I have to do something because I can't hide any longer. Eventually, Alex will get what we need and drive home without me. Because, that's who she is, pushing me to my limits and making me move forward.

I take a deep breath and I begin following Alex, my eyes never leaving the floor. I thought I easily could slip away, but of course, the universe has its way.

She sees me, I sense her watching me but my eyes don't leave the floor until I hear her call my name. I remember her voice, soft and calming. When I hear my name, my body halts and I look up. She is walking towards me, right in front of me. Cosima raises her brow and smiles.

"Hi," I say huskily.

"Hi, you back." her voice is low. I can feel my face heating up as she looks at me.

"I guess this is my lucky day," she says and leans on the shelf.

"Why is that?" I ask, and I can't stop myself from looking at her and her big brown eyes.

"Because I get to see you twice this week," she says and leans in closer.

The blush I thought was gone came rushing back. Cosima grins and I don't know what to say. She clearly has the ability to leave me speechless, although it doesn't happen to me often. In fact, it has never happened before. And the reason why it's happening now is leaving me even more speechless.

"You are." I decide to say.

She moves back, putting some distance between us and begins to walk towards the cashier. I follow her, but I hear Alex calling my name.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

I glare at Alex, who seems to be enjoying this.

"Did you get what I asked for?" she continues and looks down at my hand, noticing the ketchup I'm holding.

"Oui!" I say and clear my throat.

"Well? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Alex asks.

"Of course!" I turn my head to Cosima, who clearly has been listening to our conversation.

"Cosima, this is Alex. Alex, this is Cosima," I say and smile at them.

"Nice to meet you, Alex! Last time I saw you, you were being dragged out of the club, by this precious lady."

Cosima points her finger towards me and smirks. I can't stop myself from nudging her shoulder.

Alex clears her throat. "Pleasure is all mine! Sorry, I didn't think we had met?"

But she knew, I had told her about Cosima the day after I met her at the bar.

"Well, she kind of met you when we were in that club last Friday. We were talking when you decided to jump all over me."

I wink.

"Oh.. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." Alex teases.

"Mhm. No, not this time." Cosima says and grins after noticing my blush.

"Brat!" I whisper to her.

"Well Delphine, we should be getting going! I'll meet you in the car." Alex says, "It was nice meeting you Cosima."

As we begin to walk towards the exit, we haven't said a word but before I know it, she says, "I like your friend."

"Yeah, she's something special." I smile and turn my head to look at her, whose eyes are already on me.

I start to giggle.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing," she smiles. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again this Friday, that's all."

I stop in my tracks, but she keeps walking, not bothering to wait for me, or even turn around to look back to see my reaction. It takes me a while to regain myself, to keep walking after her, but I have lost sight of her.

I look around, searching for Alex, who probably is waiting for me in the car, but it turns out that I was wrong and I can't stop myself from smiling as I see Alex and Cosima talking to each other.

"Yeah totally! It sounds like a good idea." Cosima says, her voice is sweet as honey.

"Great!" Alex says.

Her eyes move my way when she notices me walking towards them.

"What sounds like a good idea?" I ask my curiosity taking over.

"We are going out on Friday together and I'll bring Kate with me," Alex explains.

"Alex thought it would be a great opportunity for me to hear some embarrassing stories about you."

Cosima looks at me with an amused grin.

"Sure." I smile.

"Well, we better get going, Delphine. See you on Friday, Cosima!" Alex says and we start walking to the car.

My eyes never leave Cosima's and I can't stop myself this time.

"What?" she giggles.

My eyes go from her eyes to her lips. I catch myself staring, so I'm looking down.

"See you on Friday then." I say low and smile.

"Friday it is." Her voice has the same tone and she smiles.

"Bye," I whisper and walk past her.

After we arrive home, Alex tries to talk about Cosima but I ignore her and say that I'm going to bed, which I do.

I wake up a few hours later and I go to the kitchen for a glass of water. I am not surprised to see Alex lying down on the sofa, her hands clutching the remote. Her eyes focus on me when I open the fridge. And as I close the door, I find Alex standing beside me.

"You really don't want to talk about it?" she asks.

I drink my water in peace.

"There's not much to say."

"You're pissed," she acknowledges.

"No, not really," I sigh as I sit down on the sofa. My eyes don't leave the TV.

"Then what is it?" she asks and mimics my movement.

I can feel her observing me, but I stay quiet. I am not really in the mood to argue with her. It only leads to us to not talking to each other for the rest of the week.

"It's just that," I start, "I was really looking forward to seeing Cosima this Friday."

And before she has time to answer I continue, "Alone."

"Oh," she says softly, "I just wanted to lend you a hand. Because I know that you tend to say things you shouldn't say when you're nervous. I know that you feel something for her, I mean it's pretty obvious that you can't keep your eyes off each other. And I really want you to be happy after, you know, him."

I absorb it, everything she says and I look at her.

"I love you, you know that right?" I say.

"I love you too" she smiles.

After hours of laughing, we decide to get some sleep, we say our "good nights" and go to our rooms.

I'm awake for a while a while, my mind takes over and I start to think about everything.

I'm really happy that Alex moved with me to San Francisco. She got me thinking about what she said, about wanting me to be happy.

I haven't been this happy since we moved to the states. I feel like a different person from when we lived in France. My parents were very strict, I did not have much freedom growing up. I was not allowed to go out at night with my friends, watch a movie or stay at Alex's for the night, which made me, as a young girl, very sad and jealous of my friends. I wanted what everybody wanted, freedom, fame, and attraction. I was shocked when I told them that I wanted to move to San Francisco. I was shocked because I was only nineteen years old and I never imagined myself moving away from my parents at that age.

Thinking back to how I had it then, it makes me appreciate everything now. So I thank my parents, for not letting me turn out to be somebody I wasn't. It has made me who I am today, and I couldn't be happier about it.


	3. Chapter 3: Friday night

The following days pass by slowly, so I use the days to work on my paper. I decide I'm going to complete it, eventually. And before I know it, it is Friday.

I wake up, feeling the light on my face. My mind hadn't seemed to want to let me sleep that night, and I had only slept for four hours. So you can imagine my reaction when Alex opens my door, attempting to wake me up.

"You're up!" She says loudly and attacks my bed. "Let's get you ready! You have a date tonight!"

I moan and roll over onto my stomach as I try to avoid her. I really don't want to talk about it. Eventually, she disappears and goes into the kitchen to cook some breakfast.

She gets me thinking about it again, and that's when it hits me. I'm going on a date… with Cosima, the stranger I met a week ago, who I barely know. Which is kind of a crazy thing for me to do, because I've always been the one saying no when someone asks. But with Cosima, it's different, and I don't know why. There's just something about her that I can't figure out, which makes it more interesting to explore, I guess.

I return from my thoughts when Alex knocks on the door and informs me that breakfast is ready. So I get up, rinse my face and move to the kitchen, where Alex gives me a cup of coffee.

"Breakfast is ready!" she says and sits down.

"Merci," I say.

We eat our breakfast in silence although the only sound we can hear is the sound of our mouths, chewing and humming.

"This was good!" I say, standing up. "I could taste that this was made out of love!"

Alex begins to laugh, and I don't get why.

"Oh, honey, you are going to need it tonight," she says while she picks up our plates and moves to the kitchen.

"Oh, merde, Alex!" I say as I nudge her shoulder.

By the afternoon, the weather has lost its earlier intensity. I'm almost done getting dressed when Alex barges into my room and shrieks, scaring the living hell out of me.

"What in the name of God are you wearing?!" she yells.

I don't understand her reaction. I sigh and shake my head.

"What's the problem with the clothes I'm wearing?" I ask, as I put on lipstick.

I see her observing me. She puts a finger on her mouth as she wiggles her head, she clearly doesn't like the black dress I'm wearing.

"You need to wear something more casual!" She begins and points at me "Wear that dress on your third date or something!"

"Are you sure?" I question her as I move to my closet to undress. "I don't want to mess it up!"

Alex walks towards me and positions her arms on my shoulders.

"You are not going to mess this up because of the clothes you're wearing, Delphine! She doesn't want to meet you because of the clothes you're wearing. She wants to meet you because you are smart, intelligent and sexy," she says, her voice reassuring, then, with a hint of amusement she adds "and most of all, beautiful."

I attempt a smile and tug her in for a hug.

"All right, get ready and change your clothes," she says as she walks out of my room.

"Bien," I sigh and begin to look for something more casual.

It takes me a while to eventually decide what I want to wear, which is a pair of black jeans and a white tank top.

"Really casual," I think as I walk out of my room and I notice Alex staring at me.

"Better?" I ask as I put on my shoes.

"Totally, I mean wow, look at you!" she twirls me around before heading out.

Cosima is already at the counter when we arrive. Alex and Lucy, ahead of me as we stroll towards her, me trailing behind. Cosima doesn't see us. Her focus is on her drink, spinning it around. She is bored. But as we come closer, Alex allows me to go up to her first, which is an awful idea since my eyes are on the floor. I don't notice the guy on my left, holding a beer in his hand until after he spills it on me.

"Merde!" I shout and furrow my brow.

"Shit! I'm so sorry" He seems to be too drunk for his own good, so I let him go, not bothering to yell at him.

I think Cosima sees me then, after he runs away, my eyes move automatically towards her. It is not something I can explain, though, it's just a feeling I can sense every time my eyes wander to her. I see her staring at me with an amused grin. I, for that matter, am not smiling. I'm pissed, pissed at the guy who spilled his drink on me and on Alex for making me go first. I try to not let it bother me, so I walk up to her.

"Hey, you" Cosima says low. "Having fun already I see?"

I can't stop myself from giggling as she stands up and moves closer.

"Hi you back," I breathe. "Do you like my new accessory?"

She's looking at me, her eyes go from head to toe and that grin never leaves her lips. "Yeah, totally," she says and her eyes return to mine.

"Hi, Cosima!" Alex says loudly, interrupting the moment. "This is Lucy. Lucy, this is Cosima."

Lucy and Cosima say hello to each other and before even Cosima or I realize it, she drags Alex to the dance floor, leaving us alone at the table.

"Come on," she whispers in my ear, taking my hand in hers.

She drags me towards the bar and I can't stop myself from looking down, her hand in mine as we're walking. She lets go as we walk up to the counter and she orders shots for the both of us.

As the shots are being made, my mind wanders back to her taking my hand. The warmth of her fingers around mine makes my stomach twist. I surely did not want her to let go. But she did.

If there's anything I have learned about her during our exchanges, is that she is fearless. Her mind is already made up, she knows what she wants and she knows how to get it.

I look at her again and she is staring at me, giving me that smile of hers that I adore.

She takes the shot in her hand and raises it.

"Cheers stranger." She says.

"Cheers," My eyes never leaving hers.

"So! Tell me something about you." Cosima says, as she puts her glass on the table.

Before I begin, I take a deep breath, sipping on my drink and put it down on the table. Our eyes meet, momentarily. She smiles and leans over the table. I'm shaking like a leaf since the nervousness is taking over. But when our eyes meet again, her gaze pulls me in, until I find myself leaning over as well, unsure of what to tell her. I bite my lip, as I seem to do when I get nervous. Cosima exhales and sets her eyes on my lips.

"Well stranger," I say in her ear, over the loud music. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything"

"Alright then. Born and raised in Paris, moved here when I was nineteen, with Alex-" Suddenly I feel her hand on my arm and she stops me.

"Tell me about you" she explains. "I want to know about you, who you are, what you love and what you live for." She tilts her head to the side.

I look at her, my mouth half open, no words coming out, I'm speechless.

Never have I met someone who wants to know about me in this way. All the ones I've met before have ask the same question, and I give them the same answer. "From Paris, moved with Alex, happy ever since I got to study science in San Francisco." But Cosima is unlike anyone I have ever met before; she wants to know the true me, which makes my heart beat faster.

"Well" I begin and take my time, because I don't really know what to say. "I think you just have to wait and find out and see for yourself."

She chuckles while shaking her head.

"How about you then? Who is this stranger in front of me?" I say before I wink at her.

"Well, stranger." She begins. "I love the life I'm living and I appreciate everything. I think everything in life is art. What you do, how you dress, the way you love someone, how you decorate your house, your smile and your personality. Even how you drink your cup of coffee in the morning. And of course, the way you feel. Life is art. And I love it." She says and sips on her drink.

"Wow, that's… that's amazing," I say, mimicking her gesture.

It's quiet now, which makes me start to think again, this person right in front of me is more than special. She's mind-blowing. Never did I believe that I would have the privilege to meet someone who loves life just as it is. It's funny how things have turned out for me. A year ago I would have never thought that I would feel something for someone ever again, and Cosima changed that for me. Ever since she came around, damn. Sure, I have had girl crushes, but this is different, different in a way that you dream about it, different in the way that you want to have this person near you all the time. It's just different, for me.

I take her hands in mine and drag her to the dance floor. I begin to dance while she's standing in front of me. Her arms crossed, she's laughing. She laughs in a way like she's embarrassed to dance with me so I move my hips towards her, hands in the air as my curly hair is swaying from left to right.

Her laugh is gone now. I see something else in her eyes. Something I have not seen before, and I can't yet seem to understand it.

She makes the next move by taking my hand in hers as she's bringing my body closer to hers. Inches apart, I hear her breathing, I feel her body against mine, like a perfect match. I begin to move away from her, but before I know it she grabs my arm as she turns me around so my back is against her front. I take advantage of the movement and move my hips against her. She sees how I move and starts to move with me, swaying her hips, mirroring me and places her hands on my hips.

I can't stop myself, I seem to have lost it.

As we dance, my arm travels up towards her neck, bringing her head close to my face. Craving closeness, but her head changes direction to my ear.

"You're killing me," she whispers in my ear, before her head travels lower, down my neck.

Her words make me understand the look in her eyes earlier, desire.

I don't allow her to run her lips up and down my neck so I turn around, my front against hers and I look at her as she leans in closer, but before she has time to try, I stop her as I put my finger to her lips she looks at me, confused, when she sees me smiling.

"Patient," I whisper in her ear.

She release a groan and places her head on my neck, I hold her as we're standing on the dance floor.

"Let's get out of here," she moves out of my grip, "you really need to change, your clothes stink of beer."

She teases and runs off and I try to go after her.

I'm surprised by her actions, from trying to kiss me to wanting to get out of here. But sure, it's pretty late and I really need to change my clothes anyway, because they really do stink.

"Let's go then," I say as I hurry past her.

I look back, and she's just standing there. She gives me a grin, her arms crossed, and just shakes her head. I start to laugh and then turn towards the exit. Walking through the door, the chill outside hits me like God knows what. I'm only wearing a thin blazer.

"Stupid" I say out loud. Why didn't I think of this before? It's chilly in November, and I know that, but I guess I was just too eager for this night.

I look up at the sky, inhaling the cold air and I close my eyes, trying to appreciate the weather, the way Cosima had explained earlier, how she loves life.

Before I open my eyes I feel a soft and familiar hand taking mine and I look to my right to see Cosima who has linked our fingers together.

"What's stupid?" she asks and she begins to walk, so I follow.

"Hmm well, I didn't really think about the clothes I was wearing, until now."

I'm taken by surprise as she turns me around, looking at my clothes and chuckles.

"First of all, you look pretty. Second of all, that was kind of a stupid decision to make"

I nudge her shoulder.

"Where are we going?" I ask, since I don't know.

"It's cold outside, you have like nothing on you and you stink of beer, so I'm taking you home."

I look over at her, and I see her smiling even as though she isn't looking at me.

Cosima insisted that we should walk instead of taking a cab, so it's a long time until we're finally standing outside my apartment door. Neither of us says a word, it's like we're afraid of what's coming next. When will I see her again? Does she want to see me again? We're both just staring at the sky and the stars above us. I don't want her to leave yet.

"Hey, everything all right?" she asks.

"Hmm?"

She turns her body towards mine; I do the same when I feel her hands reaching for me.

"Seems like I lost you there for a while" She looks down and plays with my fingers.

"Yeah, no everything's alright. I was just thinking that's all." I look down as well.

She releases my hand and places it under my chin to lift it so I'm looking at her.

"Hey, you."

Her smile never leaves her lips and I can't stop myself from smiling too. God… Isn't she something, I think for myself.

"Hi." I say almost in a whisper and look down to hide my flushed cheeks, but her hand is still on my chin.

She's studying me again, looking at me, her eyes going from my eyes to my lips, to my forehead while she strokes my chin with her thumb.

"My God, you're beautiful," she whispers.

My eyes meet hers through the darkness, and the area around us feels suddenly smaller than it had just minutes ago.

I open my mouth to say something, or do something, but I sense my nervousness taking over, my heart beating faster like it's about to jump out of my chest. I don't know what to say, she has the ability to leave me speechless. I bite my lower lip and close my eyes, thinking about what to do next.

I feel her hand starting to leave my face and I open my eyes.

"Do you want to come inside?" I begin, only just realize what I had just said, "I mean, it's cold outside and pretty late!"

Cosima can't hold it anymore.

"Patience Delphine." She tries to sound serious.

"You're very cheeky," I say and begin to look for my keys.

"Give me your phone."

"What? Why?" I ask and looking up at her again. And she's showing me her grin.

"Well, I hope this isn't the last time I'll get to see you again."

She moves in closer to me.

I can only look at her. I cannot speak.

"That's what I thought," she says and takes the phone out of my hand, which I don't remember grabbing from my bag.

I look at her while she adds her number, and sends herself a message so that she has mine.

"There." She whispers and gives me my phone back.

"Merci." I say lowering my eyes, our hands suddenly linked.

Cosima is also looking down, playing with my hand and I enjoy it. But she lets go and starts to turn around.

"Goodnight Delphine." she says and she walks away.

I watch her, staring at her back, admiring this human in front of me, who wants to see me again. I can only smile at the thought.

"Goodnight." I whisper before I turn around unlocking my door and going in.

I release a breath I didn't know I was holding in when I close the door.

"What a night." I say out loud, my back resting against the door.

I take off my shoes and walk straight to my bed. As I'm lying down, I can't seem to get to sleep because of everything that has happened. What a night, it had been a long time since I enjoyed a night like this, dancing, laughing and flirting. I didn't know I had it in me. But I guess, Cosima brings it out of me.

It's funny really how someone you've never met before, and only talked to a few times, can bring so much out of you.

The past week has changed me somehow, I can't describe it, but I've changed. I'm happy. And it's funny when I think about it, you know, happiness. Every aspect of her fills my head. I may be crazy for developing such strong feelings for her so quickly, but maybe it happened so fast because it was so long overdue. She should have come into my life a long time ago, I think. Before all the awful things I've had to live through, the moronic heartbreak I had to endure and everything else. But I believe that sometimes fate gets stuck and delays what's real.

I hear the door unlock, hearing giggles and loud noises coming from the living room. Alex is home and she brought Lucy home with her. Great! Now I won't sleep at all.

I hear Alex opening my door as to see if I'm home or not and when she sees me alone, she gives me a disappointing look.

"Where's Cosima?"

"Home, I guess."

"Well, why isn't she here?"

Alex is still standing by the door. And I give her a reassuring smile.

"Goodnight Alex." I say and see her rolling her eyes, about to close the door.

"Please be quiet," I say low, for her ears only and I can hear her laugh behind the closed door.

I thought she listened to my request when I didn't hear them for a while, but just as I was about to sleep, they started. No sleep for me, I guess.

After an hour of tossing and turning in my bed, I give up. I pick up my phone from the bedside table and consider if I should text Cosima or not. Maybe she's already asleep.

"Are you awake?" I send to her, waiting, tapping my fingers on my phone, my eyes fixed the black screen.

After five minutes, I start to lose it, so I place my phone on the table and roll over to the other side of my bed, closing my eyes.

Before I know it, I hear a sound coming from my phone and I roll over to it eagerly.

"Hey you." I read from Cosima and I smile.

"Hi." I text back quickly, feeling like a teenager.

"What are you doing? I thought you'd be sleeping my now, you know, from all the fun we had." I read and chuckle to myself because I can actually hear her voice as I'm reading each word.

"Cheeky." I type and quickly add, "Well I was trying to, until I heard Alex and Lucy barging in, making noise. And they're still making noise!"

"Oh man... I bet we totally could overcome their sounds." I read. Not knowing what to write back, I feel my body heat up at the thought of what she meant and it makes me smile. I decide not to answer her, leaving her hanging, just because. I put my phone back on the table and roll over again, closing my eyes with a smile on my face.


End file.
